Soul Dissociation
by Crystal Flare
Summary: Losing someone dear to the heart is never easy, time supposedly healing any emotional scarring. Shuuhei learns to lead a different life, using his past as a catalyst to become one of the strongest fukutaichou in SS. Rangiku is his balm in rough times, until... the past begins to infiltrate back into the present, creating shifts into the heart. {(ShuuheixOC)}xRan, UraharaxYoruichi
1. Chapter 0: Prologue

**Soul Dissociation**

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 **Note:** A fic centered around Shuuhei x OC, with moments of Rangiku x Shuuhei, Ran x Gin, Urahara x Yoruichi. ^^

Disclaimer: I own none of the bleach chars, only my own OCs.

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 **Chapter 0: Prequel**

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The sky was relentless, thundering and pouring down heavy rain for the past 24 hours straight, with no signs of slowing down. The clouds were so appallingly dark, they blocked the sunlight, making it appear to be a night hour. It had been many decades since such a devastating weather took place in Soul Society, especially in the furthest regions of the Rukongai area where the larger rivers over flooded from the downpour, wiping away the houses that were nearby in barely a blink of an eye.

The heart of Soul Society, Seireitei, was in the best proper conditions you could have asked for though... considering the situation. The damage was minimized by the many protective barriers coating the region, set up in a timely manner to prevent such tragedies happening indoors, where the majority of the high spiritual population lived including the warriors tasked with overseeing the soul balance in the world.

 _._

 **The Shinigami**

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Due to their headquarters suffering almost no damage at all, the Gotei 13 had been elected by Central 46 to deal with the problems in the outskirts of Seireitei, located deep in the Rukongai area, ranging from the nearest district to the upmost dead-end one at number 80 – all 4 cardinal points, mind you. However, not every squad was actually keen on hurrying up with solving this task or even preparing for it as a matter of fact. Many felt it was unfair to send officers to deal with the natural calamities of the land and aid people who were careless enough to be in this mess in the first place. A house so close by the river would always see worse faiths in unexpected times. It shouldn't otherwise be so shocking that it can be destroyed by the source of life next to it when you don't even bother protecting it against such events or designing it with the proper materials.

Especially the teams that had been assigned to the poorest of districts – the men and women were in _really_ no hurry at all to solve these issues or even offer a helping hand. They bickered about their luck and complained, wasting precious hours while doing so.

The widespread perception was that those souls were simply a burden they shouldered too often... The majority was not even contributing to this world in any way that was productive and, unless it was Hollow related, then it was beyond a Shinigami's responsibility and pay. It was quite uncommon to see one willingly set foot outside the wealthy districts and succumb to the world inside the slums.

All of them. They didn't break their backs 6 years in the academy to solve petty thefts or other types of missions that put their skills and talents to waste.

It was irritating...

"Leave it to the 4th Squad. They're a bunch of spineless wuss in battle, the least they could do is getting off their useless arses and clean up all the shit around while the actual Shinigami do more productive things with their time.", the loud mouths from the 11th did not even want to receive such orders for it would hinder their precious training schedule. Zaraki Kenpachi almost crushed an entire Hell Butterfly after receiving these shitty orders, uncaring of the consequences it would generate. It was an idiotic order. And his squad members found more use in sharpening up their blades and train, building more attack dummies than go do such humanitarian shit. Kenpachi's blade was crying for spilled blood in battle; a little rain to become such an emergency was laughable to the extent he felt like actually killing someone for this.

Thankfully, not everyone carried such rigid, stone cold attitudes.

The 9th Squad was between the first ones to answer the distress messages, _not blind_ to the suffering, and cancelled any type of activities in their barracks, alongside the 5th and 3rd Squad. Unfortunately, they couldn't aid the people using their full force since many of their ranking officers were off doing Hollow reconnaissance or other types of missions in the Living World – few could be spared and be sent back to Soul Society.

Either way, they did their best to follow through with the orders received, Tousen sending Shuuhei as leading commander of the mission.

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The horrid weather conditions – bringing forth torrents, on-growing darkness and chaos mixed with screams of men, women and children alike – were making the operation quite a challenging one to efficiently control.

Devastation was at its comfortable home here.

The reports kept filling in with memos from the scouts who kept sending back data from the in-field reconnaissance operations, constantly requesting for immediate backup. Hundreds of people had already lost their own homes by the time the first rescue teams arrived, many perishing due to the destructive power of the waters that rushed at the people without warning. The failure of the structural integrity of these shabby barracks was almost instant, trapping countless bodies under the rubbles and suffocating the souls instantly.

It was quite a horrible sight even for those Shinigami who were used to seeing tragedy during their battling with the Hollows. They were never subjected to this magnitude of calamity. So many remnants and bodies were drifting around aimlessly, in a morbid dance in these flooded neighborhoods...

Death, nevertheless, was not an unfamiliar sight...

Not for the fukutaichou who spotted a few kids dangerously close to the muddy rivers, fishing up _parts_ once belonging to either friends or family, spilling their eyes out in tears – they had lost everything they held precious in this forsaken existence. They had been duped into coming here by the Shinigami, left alone in unfamiliar settings – discarded.

All of them had been promised a way of living which was better than the one they had left. Time proved otherwise...

Their eyes nurtured anguish and hatred towards the newcomers.

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 _"Shinigami are not welcomed here, had we not suffered enough yet?! Is there anything left for you to take from us?!"_

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These forsaken regions in Rukongai shared similar resentment for the Shinigami... it would always hit a painful chord in Shuuhei's heart, remembering his older self mirroring the same bitter beliefs once. A very long time ago... Because he knew life on both ends and knew the struggles of both _worlds_ , over the years, Shuuhei had learnt to overlook such spiteful words and not allow it to shake his heart... much.

The locals were hurting in ways no one could understand unless you lived amongst them. He was able to resonate with their pain well. Actually... not far from this sector, his old _home_ was lying in battered ruins for sure.

Their reputation also suffered from actions within the organization. Bad seedlings in their rankings would create illegal schemes, using their powers and abusing their titles to prey on these souls like savages. Unfortunately, it was difficult to detect and get rid of the weeds popping inside Seireitei. As a fukutaichou, Shuuhei was doing his best to monitor his squad's activities, taking upon him the burden of authority in dealing with those inadequate, presenting his reports weekly to the taichou.

"Stay the hell away, you robed freaks!", the suffering yelled, people picking up anything their hands could get onto and throwing the objects towards the Shinigami closest to them. "Go back now! We don't need you!"

The teams froze.

"Y-You runts!"

Shuuhei looked passed his shoulder, taking in his men's perplexed expressions and their hesitance to act because of the sudden backlash, a few even looking to chicken out on the mission entirely.

 ** _._**

 ** _"Is this even worth it?!"_**

 ** _._**

A question peering inside their hearts; their patience was running thin with so many ungrateful bastards surrounding them. Their own safety was in jeopardy as well in this dreadful weather, eventually voicing their complaints loudly to the fukutaichou, frustrating him with their attitudes.

 **"EVERYONE ENOUGH!"** , the thunder in his voice was unmatched, silencing the voices.

Shuuhei ran his hand annoyed through his wet hair, his other forming a fist at his side. Did he truly have to remind all of them in such dire moments of their Shinigami duties and why they chose this profession in the first place?! Or were their convictions so weak and feeble, wavering so easily at the fist sign of hardship? Was that the type of Shinigami they wanted to be? Opportunists? Cowards fleeing and leaving behind the ones they were tasked to save and protect?!

He didn't want such people tarnishing the Squad's integrity and the Shinigami name as a whole – not on his watch and that was a promise Shuuhei would make to each of them without a second glance. Orders were given to them by their captain who put his entire faith and trust into their strengths to make a change in other's lives for the better and show the souls here that they weren't forgotten in their moments of extreme darkness.

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 **They weren't alone!**

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Shuuhei could also sense areas with faint reiatsu, scattered around and this made him even more determined to succeed today – who knew what potential lied in many of the souls present here? If they didn't help, the potential might be lost for good... potential that can grow one day to surpass the current generation of Shinigami.

Continuing to look at his men's perplexed expressions, his voice softened a bit from his scolding tone. Those who truly wished to leave the area for the comfort of their own quarters, were allowed to go-

"-and immediately pack up your belongings, sending your resignation to my office!", he called out loudly, already eyeing a few hesitant Squad members whom he caught sighing relieved, only to shudder under his intense gaze.

"F-Fukutaichou..."

"Anyone not following orders shall be removed indefinitely.", he ended his message and quickly resumed his focus onto the important matters at hand, his attitude shifting even more – the desire to keep the souls safe, kept Shuuhei going at a crazy pacing, sending out commands left and right, never losing his stamina and strength.

All the while, the ranking officers remained in awe – to see their fukutaichou in such an intimidating light, yet not once losing his patience with these troublesome souls, giving it his all without second guessing himself... despite the mud caking his drenched outfit and the nails biting in his skin from the shrieking souls, their commander never lost his cool with the souls, handling their fragile bodies with as much care as he could muster.

"..."

Shame pooled over those who had thoughts of fleeing, using the words and actions of Shuuhei as a catalyst from then onwards. Each tried their hardest in order to salvage whatever they could manage to find between the wreckage, inspired by their fukutaichou's hardwork.

He was the pillar of the mission for the squad...

But... even with their best efforts, it would not be sufficed in the end. The situation abruptly changed, terrifying howling spreading around like wildfire, the screams more frightening than before. The situation turned too dire, too fast and there was no time to contemplate his next move as Shuuhei raised his Zanpakuto, calling out itsname.

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 ** _*SCRIBBLE SCRIBBLE SCRIBBLE*_**

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During the first year in the Academy, all the students were taught how to handle the Plus Souls they'd encounter in their journeys, how to communicate with them about the marvels of Soul Society, how it was a place where they could start over after their human death. It would be a life with hope and happiness, a chance to be reunited with their long lost loved ones. They would no longer be hungry or suffer from illnesses or diseases.

It was true – but the odds were so slim, few had this _blessing_.

Shuuhei already forgot about his previous existence, having no memories of the time before Soul Society. His _loved ones_ were never discovered, that is something he knows for certain despite the haze of time. Nevertheless, he still firmly believed in the possibility of living a good life here, but sometimes he'd falter and waver to more negative thoughts...

Holding the prestigious title of _fukutaichou_ did not protect his heart from some burdens that could be too heavy to carry on his own.

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 _Shinigami are like the plague, always returning when things get better!_

 _Go back to your rich neighborhoods and leave us alone!_

 _We don't want any more trouble around!_

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Trouble.

It was, more or less, the outcome of this entire mission... _*deep sigh*_

...

Those kids by the river...

...

They were still fresh into his mind and probably would remain forever imprinted in his memories. The outcome made the paperwork difficult to finish while he was back at the office, reporting the events of the rescue efforts in vivid details.

It ended up in failure... had it not been for Tousen-taichou.

Their mission was stomped by apparitions of Great Hollows, which spawned unexpectedly, wrecking even more havoc to an already dreadful situation, but with the untimely arrival of Tousen-taichou, the casualties were kept to a minimum on their side. They were victorious, but a lot of local had not been so lucky. They had been robbed of their future, alongside many other inhabitants that were captured by the Hollows, no longer of the soul world.

...

Shuuhei wondered whether their high reiatsu in the area might have attracted Hollow apparitions in the district – it wouldn't be farfetched, considering how wildly his own reiatsu was flowing because of Kazeshini.

"Tch..."

He failed miserably...

"Damn it!", he cursed, losing his concentration – again. He couldn't even properly write anymore out of frustration, pen already scratching through the paper. Shuuhei certainly had breaking points throughout the years, one threatening to explode right about now if his mind kept being stuck in such a poisonous gutter.

So, he decided to take a break.

Sighing deeply and massaging his aching temple after another report was painfully scribbled over and discarded as junk, he leaned back onto his chair. He felt so exhausted... Shuuhei's eyes landed on his sword soon enough, narrowing down his eyes while he watched its unsheathed form placed vertically against a corner. He scratched his head in annoyance. Once more, the Shinigami couldn't manage to control it properly... Kazeshini's Shikai was like a double-edged blade that could reap even the user's life if he weren't careful enough. And if that wasn't terrifying enough, Shuuhei almost harmed his own men in the process of handling the blades – him, the 2nd in command, almost beheading a few recruits while battling the Hollows.

It was an all-consuming thought, ripping through his consciousness.

The storm had made it extra difficult to control Kazeshini. It almost seemed like he had a mind and will of its own as a Shikai, stubbornly unresponsive to his commands, Shuuhei unable to control the aim properly. It would always fly in different directions than intended to and if Tousen-taichou hadn't shown up when he did, putting an end to it all, then...

...

Shuuhei didn't want to imagine further. No – what he needed was a change of scenery and at this hour in the night, he could find it only in one place. Descending from the barracks, the Shinigami deeply breathed in the fresh cold air as he made his way towards his favorite tavern in the entirety of the town.

The sky had cleared up a lot after the incident and he soon had the tavern in sight.

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Shuuhei was a little surprised how lively it was, considering the bone breaking events in Rukongai this past week... actually, scratch that, he shouldn't be at all. Drinking was always top priority for everyone with bad days and socializing with comrades raised up the spirits immensely.

Right at the entrance, he could spot many familiar figures, laughing and having a good time – members from different squads, seated officers and even Shunsui-taichou! His presence was a rare sight in here, usually preferring the privacy of his own quarters to indulge in his drinking games. He was accompanied by his lieutenant who looked to be on the verge of losing her wit's end. She gave up on being nice and presentable, going as far as pulling onto the captain's pink flowery top quite fiercely.

"You have a meeting at 7am and at this rate, I'll have too hard of a time waking you up in the morning! And too few hours to get the alcohol smell off your breath and clothing!", Ise-san complained, but the man laughed it away. It was early in the night, the sweetest of hours in a day~!

"My sweet, Nanao-chan~!", the taichou smiled blissfully, grabbing her small hand gently and cupping it into his warm larger ones. "You worry about me too much, I'm not used to being so pamper-" _*gets pinched painfully*_

"It's not you I'm worried about, but our Squad's unfinished duties! Now, I won't repeat myself again, taichou!", she responded sternly, her cheeks reddening. She felt her sanity would run low. "Like a child...", Ise-san muttered under her breath, managing to pick the tipsy man up from the chair, guiding him towards the door.

Shuuhei had to refrain from laughing out loud, coughing to mask the act, already feeling his spirit being lifted by just being present in this cheerful environment. He respectfully greeted those two, not noticing a glint in Shunsui's eyes and his smile faltering slightly. "Good evening, Hisagi-san. Excuse us.", Ise-san answered formally, making her way through.

"It's a nice moon tonight~!", the taichou randomly answered back, annoying the woman even further. What moon was he seeing in such a clouded sky?

"..."

Anyway...

Shuuhei spotted someone waving at him and went to the back end table, grabbing the empty seat next to Kira who was accompanied by Hinamori-chan and Abarai-kun. She offered him a plate with some side dish for the third round of sake they ordered just now. They got him a drink too.

"Thank you."

...

This gathering was like the one they had during their Academy days, when they'd spend the evenings together in such close quarters. Even then Shuuhei would be the last one to arrive, mostly because of work. Ever since that disastrous lesson in the Human World in his final study year, he came to befriend them and respect them as comrades, standing on equal grounds together years later.

They hadn't had such a reunion in months, probably years, each busy with their own schedules and work. They'd share words between meetings, but other than that, each was with their own business and life.

Abarai was the one Shuuhei saw the rarest amongst them. The guy still hadn't been promoted – yet – to a lieutenant ranking, although judging by the discussions in the last few meetings, the transfer was close to being approved. The red head was left in the dark, all three of them hiding the surprise from the red head.

Kira had been appointed his higher rank this very last season and the thought of being the only one who hadn't made it yet from the group, turned Abarai quite sour and miserable... he needed to get closer to _him_ so he can manage to return into Rukia's life.

"Don't worry, I'm sure your time will come. _Slowly._ ", Shuuhei joked, sipping onto his drink casually. "Sod off.", the red head muttered sourly, getting scolded by Hinamori quickly for his rude behavior.

"Apologies accepted.", Shuuhei taunted even more despite him not saying 'sorry' – he never did. But a look from the girl at the table was enough for the fukutaichou to stop picking on his junior. This _friendly_ banter was refreshing though... Really, Shuuhei was now glad he chose to come here tonight.

...

Just as the food and drinks turned the mood sweeter, suddenly more people crashed their table, the front person being non other than the voluptuous lieutenant of the 10th Squad.

"Rangiku-san!"

The woman was yelling from afar to the bartender, ordering more rounds of sake as she brought Isane-san and Kusajishi to the front. She had just escaped her silly captain, slipping past him before finishing the last of the reports. She then found these rascals lurking around the streets!

And then she sees them all gathered up here~!

"Bartender! Please hurry up with those drinks~!", she demanded cheerfully, receiving a quick response – those will arrive soon! The workers were so happy she was blessing them with their presence! This woman had no off-switch when it came to sake. She could drink for hours and still retain her consciousness!

It was good for business! And staring at her during work hours was the bonus~!

"Y-You're in a really high mood.", Hinamori noticed surprised... but when she heard of Rangiku's story, the smaller one then realized time flew too much inside the tavern. She apologized, quickly sitting up. She had to meet her captain before the official trainee routines at dawn – it was 2am already so if she wanted some sleep, she had to leave now and grab those few remaining hours.

Rangiku was too slow to catch the little kitten while she escaped through the night. "Next time, I'll make sure you stay all night~!", she added. But then her point of interest changed, her eyes boring deep into the darker ones of the Shinigami nearby her. To be fair – she hoped to see _him_ here the most, her mood brightening further.

And _he_ knew this very well.

Whenever those two got together in close range, Rangiku would get especially touchy-touchy with him. Shuuhei was already red in the cheeks from the alcohol, now he was becoming redder than a tomato after she plopped so close to him, his hand trembling on the cup slightly. He tried keeping his blood flow normal, b-but it was difficult for she planted her chest too close to him in her attempt to squeeze her way towards her own seat~! Maybe he could blame all of this on the alcohol!

Shuuhei had too much already, thinking of applying the same excuse as Hinamori did. He wished to leave the bar before he'd do something _regretful_ , but was stopped by her firm hands placed on his arm. "Don't be a spoil sport~! Don't you want to spend time with me, too?", she asked, the question trapping him there. He was powerfully pressed back on his chair, the waiter finally coming to their table with the order.

It was time to play some drinking games since they were the even numbers~! Renji, Kira, Shuuhei one team and Rangiku, Isane and Yachiru another!

...

After a few hours, Shuuhei didn't even know his last name anymore, everyone leaving him alone with Rangiku and Kira, latter who ended up smacking his face onto the table... he was knocked outcold from all the sake and fatigue from the party.

"Come on, drink some more~! Your face looks so sour, Shuuhei!", she noticed from the moment she came inside the bar that his reiatsu reeked of troubles. She knew it wasn't from the drink. _The sake could never make a man sour!_

What was bothering him?

 _*sigh*_ Eventually... he ended up spilling out all of his recent secrets and thoughts, complaining about his Kazeshini's attitude, the strange powerful Hollows popping in Rukongai area and... nearly endangering his recruits while aiding them in battle.

"That's it?!", she almost laughed at this. Was he really bothered by such details? It made him redden worse at her reaction and actually... have few of his buttons react negatively to her words. "I'm dead serious, it's a big problem!", he replied quite childishly, wearing a deep frown. The good mood vanished quickly...

"Hmmm...? If that's problem is too _big_ to handle, then we should do something to remedy that...", Rangiku shifted her body closer and her voice carried sweeter tunes. All of a sudden her right hand reaching for some strands of his hair, messing with his bangs as she fluffed them upwards without hesitating one bit. "How about practicing our Shikai _releases_ in a more private setting, perhaps we could both _crack_ some tension here and there."

Her fingers were gliding towards his strong, sculpted features, not shying away from touching his skin – it made his body twitch and breathe catch in his throat. "Let's help each other out. What do you say...?" Her own Haineko could be a _pain in the ass_ and she had no patience all alone with her, but with someone around to help _tame_ her _naughty kitten_ , then maybe~~~ she'll have some fun _training_ tonight. "Like in those woods... It really helped _touch_ the issues in the right places.", she spoke, suggestively enunciating certain words that made Shuuhei's eyes wide.

He could spot her true intentions **very clearly**. This woman really had no restraints...

Her nimble fingers were slowly making their way down his chest, approaching his stomach area where she could feel his tension rise higher, back slowly arching from the electricity surges he felt. Rangiku was exploring dangerous regions right now. She was _feeling_ too much of his muscles and his breathing was becoming too rasp, heart beating too fast.

T-T-This was bad, K-Kira was still there and the p-people in the tavern might be w-watching - _*feels sweet pain in his lower regions*_ He gritted his teeth, squeezing his eyes while he _suffocated_ because of her mercilessly tight grip _._ He knew it was a mistake, but the sake overshadowed his cognitive skills and the surges were _healing_ his mood.

Rangiku overpowered him so easily...

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 _ ***BLOODSHOT***_

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He couldn't keep his blood flow normal, spraying the table, giving Rangiku the perfect excuse to get him out of there and walk the roads together to his quarters~! She had to save the poor lieutenant and she had the best _cure_!

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...

 **"AAAAACK!"** , Kira suddenly woke up, after being woken up by the waiter – they were closing up.

...

They all just ditched him here!

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 _Rangiku-san..._

Shewas his weakness, making his heart skip a beat whenever they shared the same room. His body would always warn him of her presence in the most shameless ways, a swift of her perfume being the minimum requirement when his body had weakened sufficiently. She always noticed despite his hakama hiding most of _the shame_ inside the folds – she couldn't stop teasing him about it in certain moments, calling his reactions _cute_.

 _W-Well, it couldn't be helped! A man was a man!_

No matter how honorable he tried to be, there were slips at times. And there were other issues... the main one being this entire arrangement between them.

 _That's right, it was nothing more, nothing less than an arrangement._

The implications were certainly not to his liking, Rangiku-san being straightforward with him since the early beginning. She agreed to both of them having free benefits from such _private_ activities, however without the sentimental attachments that would accompany them normally. His good looks and body ranked Shuuhei high up her list – but he wasn't top spot. So she didn't have any expectations for them to _date_ or actually be a couple, it was far less stressful this way... although, Rangiku-san wouldn't refuse chocolates or stylish clothing once in a while~! _*winks*_ Or free food. Or sake. Lots of sake. _*winks winks*_

All in all...

It was not something he truly desired, but it was the best thing he could get out of the woman for the time being... Not that Shuuhei had alternatives to choose from.

"..."

Shuuhei turned his head, looking right at the empty spot next to his side. Rangiku didn't remain – like always. She left rather earlier than usual too. Probably she had gotten what she wanted pretty fast, sensing his reiatsu had _brightened enough._

 _"Don't miss me too much~!"_

"Sure. Like it would do me any good...", he mumbled, picking up a strand of hair she left behind on the pillow, one of the mementos of tonight's outcome, the other being the tiredness sweeping over his body. "..."

He had no other connections he could bond over with in such intimate ways, none whatsoever. He was far too busy with work to invest sentiments into another person, most relationships he had being strictly professional or amicable. None could catch his interest. Unlike Rangiku-san... She was the only one who could still poke his heart and make him feel things...

Terribly good things when she was in the _mood_.

Bittersweet otherwise.

She mostly complained at him or sent him to various errands he would stupidly agree on. He didn't really mind... most of the time he would be glad to be of help. _"Thanks, Shuuhei~! I knew I could count on a man like you!"_

Out of all his acquaintances, the lieutenant knew the most about his past, including the memories that gave him some of his scars. She could also be particularly gifted at advice giving when he was at his lowest points – Rangiku's true personality and caring nature would appear, charming his problems away temporarily. The effects were already diminishing, Shuuhei feeling his disappointment growing, that there was no way to hold onto her permanently, just an empty spot that still held faint traces of warmth. He was sinking back into his own desolated world. Serves him right though... It was only natural his social life would carry a double-edged component.

Just like his damned Shikai.

...

Great, now he was thinking of Kazeshini. AGAIN.

 _'That entire_ ** _workout_** _after the tavern was for nothing'_ , he thought sinking even deeper in his flooding emotions, which were interrupted by murmurs of movement and soon, voices from the nearby quarters... 5:00 am.

He groaned, cupping his face with both of his hands, feeling his head throbbing as well as his lower regions. He didn't get any shut eye at all and was suffering the consequences of some really bad choices...

Shuuhei hoped Tousen-taichou didn't have any difficult tasks for him to accomplish that day...

...

In his absentminded mood, he accidentally bumped into the desk while reaching for his scattered clothing, hearing something fall down with a loud thud, the contents inside clinging. That brought his immediate attention, snapping him awake. His eyes widen, quickly picking it up, feeling quite relieved nothing seemed broken... even more than it was.

His eyes traced over the sharp metal shards, which were wrapped in a really damaged silk cloth, burn patches all over it. Next to those was a small stack of old papers bound together using strings. The writing was faint, the lettering faded almost entirely, but to this day Shuuhei knew the content by heart. The words had long become scars that shall never heal.

Last but not least, there were a few photos stuck to the bottom. Some were from the academy days, his graduation and his Shinigami days at the 9th Squad.

One in particular was from when he was made lieutenant, receiving blessings from the other squad's as it was the custom. His finger traced over one individual in particular, smiling softly at the awkward angle the body was bent in that pose. It was obviously a forced bow, even through the picture feeling the _hate_ from it. More like embarrassment, he figured out later on.

...

Smile faltering, he put those away quickly, averting his gaze before he got trapped in childish sentiments again.

"Enough of that."

Shuuhei moved the box back into one of the emptier shelves, where he'd keep books, miscellaneous trinkets or other items he'd collected throughout the years. Boy... there were many during his explorations of the Living World, his guitar being between the top items, sitting next to sword. A fragment of that same metal was hanging from Kazeshini's end, Shuuhei using it as a lucky charm...

... Kazeshini was unusually quiet that morning.

Where was the mocking tune he'd blurt out every morning?

He couldn't shake the ominous feeling as he opened the window to let some fresh air inside the stuffy room. The sky was cleared out and despite the daylight, the moon's figure still was visible in the sky. It reminded him of Shunsui-taichou's strange words at the bar. It really was odd that the man had been there last night, come to think of it... especially during these rougher times in Soul Society, a lot of captains were too busy to take a break so far away from the barracks. Also Rangiku-san appearing at the tavern so suddenly – they hadn't been in a private setting for more than a few months.

"...!"

While checking his schedule, Shuuhei peeked over at the calendar from his desk. Oh... so that was the reason why. "Heh."

...

He had some chrysanthemums he needed to buy today.

...

He really wished Tousen-taichou had an easy mission for him today.


	2. Chapter 1: Fated Meeting

**Soul Dissociation**

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 **Chapter 1: Fated Meeting**

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 ** _Karakura Town_**

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 _One of the many supernatural crossroads in the living world, an area where spiritual activity had been a thriving leading force for the past few millennia._

 _._

 _._

 _Nowadays, the city is considered to be the prime focus point of some of the strangest paranormal occurrences in all of modern-day Japan. Nowhere else is such a phenomenon so vividly present than it is here._

 _As such, numerous 'parahunters' from across the Globe come forth to try and crack down the mysteries behind these many abnormalities happening in our town, seeking tangible proofs and explanations behind their frequency in Karakura._

 _Noticeable events that prove these claims are the many landslides happening in the dry seasons all across the hillsides despite no heavy rainfall beforehand, the various and sudden demolitions of buildings which were proven to have had all construction permits up to date, following all current city regulations and, last but not least, the higher number of explosions said to have been caused by 'gas leaks', injuring more people each year._

 _Official statements discredit the true nature of these tragedies, many former public employees interviewed by our publication, who wish to remain anonymous, mention irregularities in the findings following these destructions. A lot of the evidence found cannot be fully explained scientifically, a few of the interviewed men having worked directly on such cases._

 _"It's almost – impossible. Unnatural. Due to the pressure from the public and higher ups, the conclusions of these investigations are always stretched out to accommodate a more logical reasoning. This route is much more preferred than the alternative – it shouldn't have been possible to occur in the first place! There is no foul play. No wrong-doings, yet people call for someone's head to pay for the loss of human lives and material damages."_

 _Such revelations are astonishing! What is going on with our town? Only one true reason can lie behind these tragedies!_

 _._

 ** _The spirits are always with us! And they're angry._**

 _._

 _No official statements given to the public are enough to satisfy few of the townspeople who can feel it in their own hearts that something supernatural is taking over our lives, one day at a time, many elders especially attributing these events to the many vengeful spirits roaming our lands, their curses drawn upon us because of the troublesome younger generation. Their lost connections with our ancestors and the Gods have gradually angered them, especially with the growing number of desecrated totems and shrines attacked each year. The spirits' journey towards the Light and Peace is interrupted by such criminal activities. They lose their path to the otherworld and become wondering spirits, without any guidance towards their next destination – it's not far fetched to imagine how upset they are with the living who prevented them from reaching their final resting place._

 _Such tragedies mark the punishment humans receive for interrupting the natural flow of the spirits. And innocent by-standers get caught up in these calamities._

 _Thanks to this rising issue, a lot of people turn to spirit hunters and priests as a last resort to normalcy and softening the haunted and broken souls they can feel or sense around them or in their own homes. Despite initial backlash in the early 1990s, spirit hunting gradually turned to be the hottest career choice of the decade, even one of the main sources of entertainment in Japan, few notable figures in pop culture making a big difference and change in the perception of humans and bringing closer the boundaries between living and dead._

 _Many individuals have other goals as well. To be the first to finally prove with evidence recognized by the scientific community – once and for all – that there IS in fact another side to our world, a side which most people cannot see with their naked eye unless they carry 'the gift'. This world is one of legends, one which had enchanted people even throughout our lengthy history, the Unseen Lands, also known as the Ghost Realm, the Spirit World, the Plane of the Dead or, simply, the Land of the Almighty Gods, who are tasked with keeping the balance between life and death, harboring in its clutches an army of undead warriors called_

 _._

 ** _The Shinigami!_**

 _._

 _No living being can escape the faith of meeting such a dark creature and when they do – it's game over. They linger around people close to death, quickening the process as they slowly suck away at our souls from our bodies. Day after day... It is said that the last image you will ever have of this world will be the image of Death._

 _Or so the tales imply! Hahaha!_

 _Throughout the town's history there had been no specific evidence to prove their existence though, many considering these beings to be nothing more than fantasies of the people who had lost loved ones or who had been surrounded by so much death, they became delirious with grief and confusing souls with these beings of evil. Nevertheless, urban legends wonder about the issue, some individuals even claiming to hear sounds of steel clashing together in the depths of the nights, near hospitals or specialized institutions dealing with the elderly. It hasn't been proven yet, but do be careful everyone~!_

 _Only one courageous man so far attempted to fight off the evil spirits and bring them back to the path of righteousness, only one is able to completely 'cleanse' the areas infested with troubled souls in all of Japan, soon to visit Karakura this season to film Drop-In Holy Ground Special -_

 _._

.

.

 **"BOHAHAHAHA!"**

.

.

.

The screeching pierced the once silent area and brought a sharp yelp from a student walking in close proximity. She had been so immersed in her reading that she didn't notice that classmate nearby, clutching the magazine to her chest as her body jolted. She nearly ended up tumbling as she tripped over her own two feet from that scream, her efforts to balance her body making the glasses fall flat onto the rocky path. The girl was slightly panting, touching the area above her racing heart, giving a sharp glare to the culprit, her eyes soon shifting to her frames on the ground.

She needed them. Quickly.

"N-Not funny...!", she whined, feeling her blood rush while she plunged towards the glasses, which thankfully did not break in any way. She didn't want to go the entire day without them... never again. "You know I hate people sneaking up on me... stop doing it, please!" _*puts frames back on*_

"I called out your name several times... I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to scare you... ", the girl apologized almost instantly, coming closer to see if her classmate needed help with anything. She really was sorry, fidgeting with the hem of her skirt when her assistance proved unneeded and unnecessary. "Oh... okay then." Her brown hair was styled short, only part of her bangs pinned with some hair clips. She was accompanied by another, much fiercer in expression, currently frowning at this verbal exchange and tapping her foot impatiently.

"Michiru, don't apologize over something you didn't do! Really, pay attention to your surroundings more, Okita-san! You're a hazardous ditz when you're walking around reading those silly articles and it's not doing you any good at all in school.", the black haired said in a scolding manner, aggravating the mood the girl had as she put it away.

Her alone time was officially over, now that Michiru-chan and Kunieda had found her.

"Tch... not true... And they're not _that_ silly, they're important research for my-!"

"Yes, yes. Anyway, have you thought up my proposal? Yes or no? I need an answer fast. And I hope it will not be a _disappointing_ one, I am no longer in the mood for your delays.", she replied cutting the conversation short, once again showing how impatient she was a person, her eyes carrying a wild flare in them, which... looked quite intimidating even to Michiru, who just tried smiling and calming down this tense atmosphere forming between them.

The school's track field team and the upcoming championship next June was making Kunieda's heart beat anxiously and excitedly at the same time. However... she didn't want to settle with just participating. No, she aimed for first place. And achieving this could only be possible with the strongest candidates in her track team to keep her in constant challenge to better her racing time.

And Kunieda's eyes had been set on the one standing in front of her for over a month now, constantly trying to persuade her into helping her reach her dreams.

"Look. I keep mentioning to you, again and again... My schedule really does not fit the training hours at school. I would only hinder you if I joined-", she mumbled defensively, slowly backing away, but the problem was Kunieda didn't really buy her excuses. They were too feeble!

"Your record on the teacher's files is at 18 seconds, but I _know_ for a fact that you don't run as fast as you are capable of! I've seen your true shine when you were trying to catch that train last minute. That speed was superb!", she passionately spoke, her eyes shining brighter by the second.

"W-Well, that's a f-funny thing!", the girl stuttered, trying to think of a different excuse, before it was too late-

.

.

 ***DING DONG DING DONG***

.

.

\- however, that was no longer necessary for the time being, the bell saving her some time. But not much...

"We'll discuss matters after school, don't even think of skipping this! Understood, Okita-san?", Kunieda warned her in a stern tone, then left without allowing the girl to properly have a comeback. _*deep sigh*_ She really didn't want to join any type of sports club... her body was sore enough.

"Ugh...", she exhaled deeply once more. It was no use though and she knew it.

.

.

.

.

 **Okita Yuna**

Not a day over 16 in appearance, her dark maroon hair was barely inching past her shoulders in length as it framed her youthful features. The glasses, though a tad too big for her small face, covered half her cheeks making her expressions comical at times. Sometimes she appeared too alien... If she had the means, she'd switch the frame a more modern model. She was drop dead poor. Also – Occhan was a cheap businessman.

 _'So cheap!'_

Just thinking about this made her gloomy instantly. Ah well, not like she could do anything to change her situation... She wouldn't survive on her own.

Anyway...

The hallways were brimming with students left and right, heading towards their respective classes. Yuna spotted a few with panicked expressions, rushing through the corridor as they bickered loudly, bumping into her shoulder a bit painfully without even apologizing. _'Rude, I nearly dropped it again!'_ Their voices soon died out at the corner, looking like the entire world collapsed on their shoulders.

Kicked out of the classroom for being late and punished for everyone to see – some teachers were quite extreme about punctuality not being followed through. I mean, she should know... Yuna had so many ticked onto her record, one time being written off by a teacher despite being only half a minute late when she came into the class. _'Half. A. Minute. Late!'_ And she was still forced to sit through the entire lesson. Not that her attendance mattered that much, frankly... This school was just a means to make time not seem like such a burden to her existence anymore.

Walking at a slow pace, Yuna stopped for a minute to check the notice board, looking over the updates about the school clubs available to join or testing scores. She had to prepare for next month and calculate her points to remain in graphic. She wasn't seeking to be the best; and most certainly not the worst! A certain balance was her goal and, so far, she was reaching it monthly with success. Most students – unlike her – aimed for the Top 100 spots since it could open an easier path towards a more quality-driven education. A lot of families required the best results from their offspring and if they still loved having a roof over their heads – it was best that they listened properly and obeyed this _simple_ objective. Parents don't like to spend their funds on deadweights fooling around with their education.

The expectations were so high, some couldn't take it anymore, preferring to drop out and take life by their own hands. Family ties were cut during the process.

Yuna was in the top 50% of the school. It wasn't as dramatic of a situation as it could have been... she assumed. She didn't really care much about her grades and there was no one pushing her to do well either.

No one was there to care about such trivialities.

Sliding the door, Yuna was thankful the teacher was running late. Her eyes briefly met darker ones.

.

.

 **Ishida Uryuu**

.

.

He was an unsettling presence whenever she passed by him. She couldn't pinpoint in what manner exactly, but he appeared... different. Not dangerous, just that there was something peculiar about Ishida, setting him apart from most of the other students with some exceptions to it. The few verbal exchanges they shared were... cold. His expression would always harden, piercing her eyes with an intense gaze like he could _see_ through too many of her secrets just by being in close proximity.

It was quite intimidating, the girl always switching her gaze to her books, which he didn't fail to notice: their titles were always related to the supernatural.

 _"It's just a hobby, nothing more interests me~!"_ , she answered too quickly... too suspiciously. No direct malice was ever shown though so she was happy about it... a bit.

He mostly kept to himself in breaks, not normally the one to first engage in a conversation. He had that kind of personality, one that made having friends quite an assiduous task. He didn't appear to have any close ones since he was alone most of the time, diligently reading for classes or doing various tailoring.

Ishida ranked the top spot, month after month, keeping his reign unchallenged. His scores were nearly perfect, making him both envied and respected in the student body. Unlike Yuna... She always had to check her desk for anything weird on it or under it. That _gum incident_ shall not be repeated...

"..."

These school rankings had another effect for someone's reputation...

Many would be weary of those students who weren't particularly gifted in their studying or slacked a lot. They would become shunned, bullied or dumped into the same category as the thugs roaming in packs around the school district or parks at night. Not all of them sought to become violent or damaged property; nevertheless, there were numerous clashes resulting in injuries after each. There was a sense of pride in fighting for the honor of the companions you share meals with every day, even housing – it was like a new family, no matter how dysfunctional. Couldn't be worse than what they had before. So if opponents came and bad mouthed such bonds or simply disrespected the honor of an individual...

 _They should be prepared to face the consequences._

Every now and then, these conflicts would take place inside school grounds – rarely, but it happened, in the more secluded areas.

Some gangs had members which were mostly _all-talk-no-action_ types picking on the weaker and more feeble students. Sometimes, they'd target the opposite, the strongest ones in order to validate their own power and strength, sparking even more fear after coming out victorious. It earned the member's upmost respect, so it wasn't far fetched that some people would end up becoming tempting targets to confront in battle. Trouble would come at every corner for such individuals, especially if you happened to be that one pesky guy with unusually bright orange hair, naturally carrying around a rather passive aggressive and grouchy expression.

.

.

 **Kurosaki Ichigo**

.

.

He was the main topic of discussions before the teacher's arrival. Apparently, he was nearly suspended yet again after being caught in the middle of a match, fighting with folks from a senior class and wiping the floor with their battered bodies. A cut on his cheek was the only evidence marking the fierce altercation. He didn't care much about it – he would fight anyone who stood in his way. But today, Ichigo's mood did not fool anyone, affecting those nearby the most.

A heavy pressure floated above the classroom, the intensity quite suffocating.

The orange head was reminiscing the shit those assholes spat towards him when he entered the school grounds. They were aiming to stalk him to his house if he didn't accept their challenge. What made him flip his switch was the mentioning of his sisters, Yuzu and Karin. They had been following them in secret for weeks, throwing pictures of them to his face. It was one thing to threaten the boy, it was another aiming threats on the people he loved.

He hoped his message got through to them, his fists filled with his emotions.

.

 _'Family was precious to him. He'll do anything to protect it, so be prepared!'_

.

It was a slow rhythm after the class began. Luckily, Yuna had a seat at the window so her eyes wondered to happier things... when the outside world held no more interest, she would resume to observe her classmates. She would steal secret glances towards Ichigo, even narrowing her eyes at times while chewing on her pencil. The boy wasn't like Ishida, but he wasn't _normal_ either. _'Why was this...?'_ She was curious... could _see_ strange things too?

 _'It wouldn't be unusual. Some were sensitive to spiritual activities, Karakura is especially gifted according to my research.'_ , she thought at this hypothesis. Well... Yuna might also be mistaken though, it happened in the past. _'Bleh!'_ It was hard to tell these days, with all the changes going around in her life... _*sigh*_ She was lacking energy.

She wanted the day to end and go home, but... _*looks at Kunieda*_ the hard part of today hadn't yet begun for the girl. Moreover, she had the late shift at the store. She wished she could skip it once in a while, but the last time she did this _*_ _feel chills run down her spine*_ it wasn't pretty.

.

.

.

.

 _*looks to the left .*_

 _._

 _*looks to the right .*_

 _._

 _*looks both ways multiple times .*_

 _._

 _*and now she's dizzy..._ . _*_

.

.

"Okay... nothing out of the ordinary, which means... the plan actually worked, the coast is clear!", Yuna cheered happily, leaping outside in delight before she suddenly stopped, hesitantly taking more steps in front of her. Eyes squinted behind her glasses, the girl placed them higher on her nose bridge while she carefully examined her surroundings. She should not become careless now, Kunieda might be hiding somewhere, ready to jump at her and attack when she'd least expect it!

She needed to be smart about this! She needed to find a hiding spot first, Yuna instinctively rolling towards a bench with students... this... wasn't a smart idea...

"What the...!", one of the girls yelped, scooching closer to her friend nearby who was already sending menacing stares. "Go away, you freak!", she hissed, wanting to splash Yuna with her soda content, but the girl skillfully dodged it with remarkable ease.

She was left out into the open, vulnerable to preying eyes. _'It's not good! Danger!'_

"Tch, keep your distance from us! Can you believe this one?"

"I know, at least you don't have to be in the same study hall with her!"

"I don't envy you, ha ha!"

"..."

Her reputation wasn't exactly favorable one in this school... she was odd to a lot of them. Some thought she was mentally ill and troubled and not many wanted being associated with her – it didn't garner popularity points. Plus, she was quite the dumb-dumb and she didn't have the looks to mask so many of these faults! Maybe if she added a bit of make-up, she could be keener to the eyes.

 _'I can_ _still_ _hear you...'_ , Yuna would bit her lips, pouting by such extreme reactions. She made eye contact with many of the students who shuddered right afterwards, some even scolding her for doing so – **_"D_ _on't look at us, witch!_ _"_**

 _'It couldn't be helped! Where am I supposed to look? You're right in front of me!'_ And she tried not letting it bother her. _'Much...'_

For now, she had to finish this stealth mission, to get away from Kunieda succesfully... the school gates were close by and there was still no sign of her long black hair. Yuna was proud of this plan... she purposely rushed out of the school building the moment the bell rang its last tune for the day. She faked the need to go to the toilet beforehand and didn't forget to publicly announce this, _loud and clear_ , after the teacher had left. _'What's up with her...'_ If all went accordingly, Kunieda would be waiting for her at the ladies' room and when she realizes that Yuna is a no-show, she might finally take a hint of her true intentions.

And her answer...?

She wanted nothing to do with her club.

.

.

.

.

"Man... Okita-san is really strange today and that's already saying a lot...", Tatsuki commented from afar, standing next to Orihime who was also peaking at the courtyard from their classroom's window. Yuna kept making weird tumbling movements on the ground whenever she was in close proximity to a pole or a bench or even a bush... like a ninja maybe? She was actually bringing herself more into the spotlight than before... What was in that head of hers?

 _'Really, w_ _ho didn't hold her properly as a toddler and dropped-_ _'_ , Tatsuki thought disapprovingly, interrupted shortly.

"Ah! It looks like she's playing a fun game!", Orihime chirped quite excitedly, clapping her hands together. She wanted to join in the fun, rushing to her but Tatsuki caught her tightly, wearing an expression that screamed a terrified **_'NO'_**. She was becoming frustrated with her friend, going for Orihime's head and shaking it good – she wanted to bring back some sense into her mind. _'This was not normal behavior_ _!'_

Orihime laughed because the grip was tickling her!

"Also, don't indulge yourself in such strange habits!", Tatsuki scolded her further. The last thing she wished for was for her friend to end up looking ridiculous and childish. If anything, it wouldn't surprise her if Yuna received such eccentric _'gaming'_ ideas from Orihime herself since they interacted quite a lot... to her despair. It wouldn't surprise Tatsuki one bit.

"Eeh?! But it really looks like so much fun... She's playing with other people now! Come on Tatsuki-chan!", she pointed out to Tatsuki who started yelling after her again but she wouldn't stop, her feet moving carelessly as her eyes remained fascinated by what was happening outside. So many people gathered there! But... in her ditziness, she had crashed right into Ichigo at full speed, who felt almost like a hard wall.

She had to be taken to the nurse's office, a head bump for a prize.

.

.

.

A commotion started because of her weird action and it didn't take long for her cover to be blown for good. Yuna picked up the pace as she spotted the enemy rushing at her, full speed ahead and showing no apparent mercy towards her if she were caught.

 _She could painfully tell!_

The objective here was clearly written into the enemy's eyes – _capture Yuna at any cost and have her surrender her will to the greater cause_ _of Karakura High_ _!_

It was a mad chase around the courtyard, the girl crying for her to stop this madness, it was too much already! It continued even after they swooshed out through the school gates, right into the busier streets of Karakura and nearby traffic. "JOIN THE TEAM!", Kunieda yelled, trying to shorten the distance between them, but finding it difficult to do so. The feeling of the championship cup in the palms of her hands was fueling her determination to recruit Yuna even more. They were undeniably on equal footing! It would be a shame not to make her a member of their team, they'll crush the competition without problems. They'd win the locals, regionals and maybe even international competitions – this could become something big!

Life changing.

ONLY GOOD THINGS AWAITED FOR THEM SO WHY WAS SHE RUNNING ANYWAY?!

"BECAUSE I'M FEARFUL FOR MY LIFE RIGHT NOW!", Yuna cried out, making a sudden turn to the left, jolting right, straight towards an area with narrow and twisted alleyways. Just when Kunieda thought she had her trapped in a dead end route – since she knew this area like the back of her hand – Okita immediately jumped right through another corner and-

"GOT YOU NOW- Huh...?"

\- Kunieda lost track of the girl, nearly slamming into a massive brick wall marking the end of the chase... _H-How was this p-possible...?! Did she take a wrong turn?! But... she, she was so certain Okita-san went through here. She could bet all her savings on this, so why... why wasn't she here?!_

 **"OKITA-SAN!"** , Kunieda yelled at the top of her lungs.

.

.

 ** _"I'LL RECRUIT YOU IF IT'S THE LAST THING I WILL EVER DO THIS SEMESTER!"_**

.

.

"Huh... I wouldn't bet on it...", Yuna muttered slowly to herself, squinting her eyes and smirking cheekily while both her legs were dangling over the edge of the building she was resting on top of. She was really high above the ground now, observing Kunieda's desperate attempts to find her, going further and further away from her location. _*deep sigh*_

 _'Man..._ _this was far too close for comfort'_ , the girl thought, jumping down her hiding spot with a really soft sound, dashing towards her next destination while she checked her cell phone, pressing countless buttons on it.

In her rush, she didn't notice a figure lurking in the shadows having followed her up to this point.

.

.

.

.

Her feet stopped the moment she reached a tiny store in the middle of a residential neighborhood, forcing herself to catch her breath. All this running... it was not easy on her.

Yuna studied the place, looking for the staff members working there and was happy not to see any around the back entrance. She didn't want to be spotted arriving at this late hour and hoped by some miracle of faith and life that no one inside had noticed her absence so far... She was deeply naive and flawed in her assessment!

 **"YOU'RE LATE!"** , a stern voice thundered behind the girl, quickly feeling pain. Her shoulders were squeezed hard, to the brink her bones clinked under the pressure. The gesture frightened the life out of her poor soul, her eyes tearing up from it. The deep claws of angst and fear were sinking into her soul, knowing fully well that yet another set of scolding was awaiting her... as per usual. Right in front of her, at nearly 2m in height, was none other than the manager of the store she was working at.

.

.

 **Haida Makoto**

.

.

A man in his early 40s, he was in charge of the ESP Karakura Soul Shop, a store branch belonging to Occhan's main shop, the latter one much shabbier looking and old-styled than this new modernly furnished one.

Manager-san carried both the day and night shift, one has to wonder if he knew the definition of sleep or if he needed it. His energy levels always seemed so unbelievably high sometimes, surpassing even the levels of the younger generations. Makoto's body size was more terrifying thanks to his bigger volume and the pack of muscles he was sporting despite his chunkier figure. He could probably KO a person with just an accidental shove with his belly, that's how fearsome his strength was! Moreover, his lack of hair, trimmed to a really thin buzzcut – almost like a stubble or a puff – and countless tattoos sprouting all over his body made him appear that more menacing.

He was a softy though... but not with his employees whenever they were slacking off their duties. The girl included!

"I g-got sidetracked... this girl at s-school was chas-", she tried reasoning with the big guy, but he frowned, unwilling to take any excuses from her.

"Hurry up with the uniform, today is a busy one!", he crossed his arms, having no intention of listening to the rest of her rambling. Yuna was upset about this, wanting to protest! She was only late for like about... an hour... or so. Which was quite a lot of time, come to think of it... erm...

"... Yes.", she caved in and followed his demands. She lost this round.

"You're on cleaning duty. Do any messes and I'll personally inform the owner about your behavior as of lately. I'm sure he'll enjoy every d-e-t-a-i-l~!", Makoto-san changed his grouchy expression to an even frightening, sweeter version, these words being the last _nice_ ones she'd hear from him all week.

"... Y-Yes TwT.", she answered trembling, dragging her feet to the staff area to change her clothing quickly while Manager-san went the opposite direction, right to the supply area to do some inventory check. Her school uniform was soon replaced with an old pair of jeans and white shirt carrying the ESP's shop emblem. She stored the glasses in her locker since she wouldn't need them anymore in this environment and, on the way outside the shop, she was greeted loudly by another one of her coworkers.

.

.

 **Itagaki Akira**

.

.

The guy was responsible for restocking the shelves daily and doing inventory checks but today Manager assigned him to another post... her usual one.

Akira usually worked the first shift in the mornings, handling items between the branch store and the main one. His messy black hair was constantly hidden by beanies, having quite a variety in his collection. He was a rather short fellow for his age, barely reaching 1,56m in height whereas Yuna stood at least 8cms taller than him without wearing any heels. For a shrimp, he was pretty aggressive with people, carrying what he called a _street attitude_ – whatever that meant – only one of the many reasons why it was not such a smart idea to make him interact with customers. He was almost never smiling and would frighten customers away too quickly with his poor communication skills and short temper. What's more, this lack of patience he had when dealing with people – who either mumbled their sentences to the point he needed a hearing device, or stuttered random words, or were too damn indecisive with the products they wanted to buy – all of this made him want to beat the crap out of them all and kick them from the store.

He wasn't paid well enough to handle these many stupid humans in one place! Not at all!

Anyway~!

His shitty job had some good parts as well, such as Yuna~! ＼(≧▽≦)／

She was his main source of entertainment whenever their shifts collided. Akira would always search for her in the shop whenever he felt bored, which simply drove her mad as he kept pressing all of her buttons, bothering her endlessly. Literally, he was trying to press her _'buttons'_ as well. _*avoids a deathly kick*_ She obviously _enjoyed_ their constant squabbles at work, she was just very shy in expressing her true feelings~!

 _"Not even a tiny bit! Stay away from me or I'm telling Occhan!"_

Occhan was happy his employees were getting along so well together. _"Traitor, you're no help!"_

Akira's job resume also included him making delivery gigs, having to visit the clients' homes in order to drop-off of the products they requested online or through the phone. Many did prank orders though, a shop with a theme like theirs wasn't free of trolls – it invited them actually. Nevertheless, Akira could become very, very, **very** persuasive to make even the most resilient of men pay for their orders, no matter the intentions behind their actions.

They could **not** refuse.

Working at the ESP store was his part time job though. His main occupation was running a blog catering to dismiss all of the fake evidence of spirit sightings posted online on the Karakura Forums. He would back up his claims with his own proof and footage with actual gears and professional equipment he'd _borrow_ from the Manager, disproving them all. He'd also borrow Yuna to help him, since these were all but too heavy to handle by himself~!

.

.

 _"Why do I even have to carry so many?! You're the one who came up with the plan, take responsibility for everything! Be a man!"_

 _"I am taking the responsibility of the leader. Also, it can't be helped, your arms are bigger and can carry more items than me. Plus, I need my brain to function, so move your legs faster, my sweetest of loves~!"_

 _"I'll drop these on top of your head...", she growled, her eyes twitching profoundly, starting to chase him down the streets._

 _._

 _._

It also came as free publicity to the shop, the blog always referencing the products used coming from the ESP Shop, which is why Makoto-san turned so many blind eyes to the boy's actions, sending the girl in these quests of his, despite her deep refusal!

The blog turned pretty popular amongst the youth, a lot of them considering Akira to be like a ghost himself, always in the best areas to catch new raw footage of actual genuine freaky things! Like a professional detective or a stalker~! Yuna could easily confirm that he was in fact a really perverted stalker with those abilities of his – if you were unlucky to be female. If you were even unluckier as to actually be the female named Yuna, it went even bloody further.

Akira viewed her like a best-bro/buddy-bud/ sister type whom he loved pushing towards the edge of her sanity. At the same time she was the one girl he would absolutely have ZERO issues in having a _friends with benefit_ relationship with. Plus, he would actually love it, to the point he'd even consider staying over the night and not ditching her after their _activities_ the following morning... that would be his ideal dream actually, having Yuna cook for him breakfast too! Maybe even give him a massage...? He had scented oils, he could find some aromas she liked too~!

 _"W-What kind of d-dreams are those?!"_

Yuna was, after all, a girl pretty decent in terms of physical appeal ignoring those horrible glasses she'd sport on. _"This is Occhan's fault! He won't fix me a pair with better frames!"_

Also, she was ju~~~st at the bottom line of his beauty standard when she clothed those horrid shabby and unsexy outfits, making her chest seem flat as an ironing board. _"These hoodies ARE for girls too! And I'm NOT flat!"_

 _"Let me check-"_

 _"Makoto-san!"_

However, she would rank super high in his list if she ever wore like actual girly dresses, some push up support for her deflated chest and some make-up to hide those extensive panda eyes. She would look so incredibly hot, judging from the pictures he'd photo manipulate- _"Wait... you did_ ** _what_** _to my pictures?! Erase! ERASE RIGHT NOW!"_

 _"But you look so pretty~! Like a real angel!"_

Of course, if his needs required a special type of scratching he'd rather rely on his trustworthy Hatsune Pillow lying on his bed. It was far less stressful than dealing with any girl in the flesh who could potentially shriek like a banshee and ruin his mood. He also didn't want to go to prison too since Yuna was still at _high school age_ , or so they said. She was officially a minor, so... _"I hate you so much..."_

 _"It's the first step in accepting you love me-" *gets elbowed in the stomach*_

Anyway.

Akira was in incredibly low spirits today, his darkened mood cheering up the girl tremendously. The moment he saw her, Akira jumped over the counter in a swift movement, grabbing her shirt and doing desperate push-pull motions on it, to cry out his pain and troubles. He even tried sneezing out his boogers on her chest area where her plush buttons were – on purpose. _*gets kicked immediately in the shin!*_

His butt hurt from the boring secretarial job, why did she betray him by being such a sloth today?!

"I'm willing to exchange your suffering with mine~!", with shiny eyes, she nearly pierced him her broom and dustpan, but he carried a blank expression, not amused at all. There were some things he wouldn't even do for his mother and cleaning was one of the tasks! "You say that about every single thing I ask from you!", she snapped back annoyed, trying to shove the broom at him, but he avoided it skillfully. What kind of a son was he for his mother anyway?! For someone who would always follow Yuna around at work, Akira sure backed away fast when it came to actually putting a muscle into helping her!

"It's called tough love, babe~! I'm just looking out for your best interest and I don't encourage your laziness and tendencies to be a sloth~!", he winked at her, making gun-fingers like a _cool_ badass, grinning without any care in the world.

"You...", she gritted her teeth, wanting to bite his fingers off. _*CHOMP CHOMP*_ but their banter swiftly ended when Makoto-san sneaked up behind them both, grabbing the girl by the shirt's collar and _*SWOOSH*_ sending her flying outside the shop, quickly landing on her butt painfully after rolling on the pavement a few times, freaking out the passersby who started running away. The pain she felt was making her want to cry as she rubbed her aching rear end TwT. Akira had the same treatment, getting thrown behind the counter, hitting himself on the cupboard at the back, many items falling down from the shelves and landing on top of his head.

 **"Clean it up now!"** , Manager-san ordered the boy before leaving to his duties... Youths these days, always needing _encouragements_ to do any kind of work.

.

.

.

.

It was night-time, hours after her shift officially ended, but she had only finished her duties now, Makoto not showing mercy until she was done with all her chores.

Yuna became dusty and dirty from all the tasks she had to do, but... it was worth it, the store had never looked so squeaky clean before under her care. She even brought some potted plants in front of the shop to make it more... human friendly in a way.

Maybe even ghost friendly – but hopefully, not too friendly for them.

"Okay... If this doesn't give me a pass then nothing will...", she muttered to herself, suddenly beginning to wonder with her eyes around the neighborhood.

All the while, a strange feeling enveloped Yuna... like she was being carefully observed by someone. And by someone, she didn't mean the obviously rude middle-aged individual dancing in front of her face, floating left and right and circling her all around, planting his invisible buttock too close for comfort, all through the last hour or so. He was incredibly suggestive in his actions, but she had to restrain herself and not cause a scene.

The shop was in a pretty highly travelled area unlike the main branch and she could not afford to make a scene and bring down the reputation of this place. She had to thank Akira's constant harassment for growing such a thick skin, otherwise... _*feels vein pulsating in her forehead*_

Otherwise...

.

.

 _"You can't see me, you can't see me~! AH! I wonder what a body of a young girl feels like. OOOH! If only I could touch you, what I'd do to you makes me go - OOOH! I touched you! But... I can't feel anything, OOOOH! The things I'd do if I could hug such a young girl again~! OOOH~!"_

.

.

"Do _kindly_ repeat those words again...", Yuna finally snapped, narrowing her eyes dangerously as she carried a pissed-off grin, looking straight into the eyes of the ghost with such vile intent it made him suddenly stop moving, his eyes becoming wider and expression more terrified. He was looking in the eyes of death itself!

 **"I DARE YOU, OLD GEEZER!"** , she shrieked, the air surrounding the girl changing drastically, freaking out the ghost so much while she smacked him away with the broom, shooing him away! If the man were still human, he was sure he'd require new sets of underwear and pants just about now. _He had been caught!_ The coward was so scared, he practically darted away, the girl sighing heavily afterwards...

"S-Scary!"

"Don't look honey!"

"..."

There were still people on the sidewalk, looking at her confused, while she started giggling and scratching her head... moving along~! Ah! The flower pots-

"..."

Maybe she should have kept those glasses on after all, but they always ended up affecting her vision, itching her skin and leaving imprints on it. _*deep sigh*_ Anyway... the strange aura she felt during the day... it suddenly vanished. It was too far away and hazy to distinguish it while at the shop and she couldn't skip it... Makoto-san dismissed her worries, scolding her to focus on her duties and to stop taking off her charms. _"Leave the rest to the professionals."_ , would be his ending answer.

So the girl had to let go of her concerns. It could have been nothing.

Or trouble...

Or nothing~! Ah well... It wasn't an uncommon feeling though, she pondered while staying a few more minutes at the shop before exiting. The sensation of trouble really was gone for now, but just as she made a few steps, her phone started buzzing and just in time, giving her some really good news! Occhan didn't need her anymore tonight, so she'll rest in her own place for _special matters intervened._

"Actually, have the week off work as well. Maybe even two weeks."

"Huh? Are you alrigh-"

.

 ** _*PHONE BUZZING*_**

 _._

"...", it was a very weird phone call, but she did not care actually. "Really good news~!", she grinned, not even bothering to question why this act of kindness from his part!

Her joints really couldn't have taken the extra hours of training or work, so she was blissful for this mini holiday~! _Uwhaaaa~! So many extra hours of sleep!_ She needed to celebrate somehow... maybe she could start socializing more or look at afterschool clubs...? She was required to pick one – it was mandatory.

There were a few that seemed a bit interesting, but the shop hours were in the way of the schedules. Ahh!

"Happy, happy day~!", she talked to herself, her expression not leaving until she arrived in the neighborhood where her apartment building was.

.

 ***WHOOSH* *THUD***

.

Someone was in the middle of the road all of a sudden, appearing in front of her from thin air. "AH!" Before Yuna had a time to properly react and spot the individual's features... it vanished from her eyes just as quickly, spooking her out in the process.

And she was used to seeing spooks.

She didn't manage to sense the presence there or nearby. It was a rare occurrence to happen even as she took off the bracelet she used for a charm, trying to pick up reiatsu signals and risk exposure... but nothing.

...

Yuna was hesitant to go home... so she chose the next best route despite the call she had received.

She was a scaredy-cat... TwT

.

.

.

.

"Why. Are. You. Closed...", she growled, scratching at the sliding door as she stood like a loner in the front of the shop, constantly watching over her back in case THAT shadowy figure popped again. Yuna called Akira wanting to know if he had another stupid prank made for her, but it wasn't him... and she believed him when he showed actual concern.

"Yuna, you ok man?"

"I'm not a man...", she mumbled, ending the phone call. She didn't like this...

She hated this feeling in her heart right now.

 **"Hello!"** , the girl knocked harder onto the shop's door, waiting for someone to let her inside, but all she received in return were the sound of a howling dog and the smell of tasty food coming from inside the shop. She couldn't believe it... Situations like this one was why she kept _demanding_ the shop's spare keys after she moved out, but noooo!

.

 _"You'll lose them! Misplace them! MULTIPLY THEM!_

 _So it's far safer here with me~~!"_

 _._

"For the love of-!"

She was causing quite a racket and normally, by this time, someone, anyone would have allowed her access... today was uncharacteristically different... not even the kids came out, the red head being the most vocal about any type of noise.

Yuna searched the entire perimeter and ended up with one final conclusion.

Either they were all in the back side of the shop where no living being could reach them from the outside OR... they were all damn gone somewhere else. _*checks phone_ * without responding to any of her text messages...

"Just my own rotten luck...", she wondered what to do next. I mean... she could try and break down the door, but hahah... it was made to keep people out. It was no regular entrance, so without the proper keys – you couldn't set foot in it even if you were a experienced burglar.

"Please come back quicker...", she whispered, hugging her school jacket closer to her body, looking around tentatively for anything out of the ordinary.

...

The sky soon became the focus of her interest, the pretty stars and moon giving her a semblance of comfort...

.

.

 ** _~ 40 minutes later ~_**

.

.

The unsettling sensation had returned. She didn't want to explore the source behind it in the middle of the night despite her curiosity about what she had witnessed before... it shook her how in all her years, she had never _sensed_ such a presence and all the warnings came flooding her mind. She was honestly quite foolish for these fears, considering her training and abilities...

Nothing could actually endanger her here in Karakura... ghosts surely couldn't so it was irrational.

...

But... she didn't want to push her luck...

"Ugh... Occhan..."

M-Maybe she could find some classmates to drop by at their place unannounced or... _*shudders*_ go to Akira's house – as a last resort. She feared her remaining innocence in that scenario...

"!"

The air turned harsher and the presence's reiatsu grew so much stronger, a wheezing sound passing close by, echoing all around her. Yuna blocked her ears and dropped on her knees, shutting her eyes.

... So scary. TwT It wasn't a familiar reiatsu after all, what could she do now-

"Huh? What's that over there, owner? A stray?", a rasp voice shook her from her thoughts and suddenly.

"Hm?"

...

It didn't take long for her eyes to settle on the people gathering there, her mood shifting to 180 degrees.

It took even less time for Yuna to jump from her cowering position, slamming right into the front row kids. She used those two like a pair of cuddly plush toys she needed to hug in order to calm down her fears, enveloped by their familiar reiatsus, almost _inhaling_ their power and giving her courage!

The boy tried biting off her arm, the only way he'd get away from her strong chokehold before he ran out of air and passed out. The girl was immobile and her eyes wide, shaking a bit too dangerously. The tallest of the group quickly went to break the hug, becoming the next of target of her temporarily stronghold.

Yuna didn't care though, mumbling about her scary moment!

She really was so incredibly happy to see them all-

.

 ***SQUISH***

.

"Eh...", she felt something soft and plump instead of a flat surface when she tried aiming for occhan... Oh, it was shorter than her? Wait... this wasn't occhan.

Wait...

THIS WASN'T OCCHAN?!

Eh... Since when... did they have another female in the group... oh wait...

OH WAIT!

D-Did they r-replace hher so q-quickly?!

"Unbelievable, Yuna-chan~~~!", his voice came from behind, his grin forever present. "Whatever brings you around this place~? Don't you have an apartment that I've been paying rent for these past few months? One I've even encouraged you to go to after work tonight so you WON'T show up here~~~~?!", he continued laughing about this _unplanned_ coincidental meeting tonight with the girl. Ah~! It would have been really _unpleasant_ if the moment he allowed Yuna some freedom and spare time away from his own home, was the moment she felt the absolute need to drop by for an unannounced visit that he purposely cancelled for he had another _guest_ to attend to these weeks...

"A guest... from _that_ place.", he giggled some more, the girl's expression shifting to a more dreadful one, color draining from her face as she stared at the other frozen girl. Black hair and small stature, quite thin framed... but her expression... it turned from shock to something more serious as she recovered her composure.

"Unbelievable..."

"Urahara-san.", the guest spoke, turning her head to him. Despite her own problems, she had no issues in sensing another's reiatsu, especially during the unexpected skin ship she had offered so shamelessly, pointing Yuna's out. A reiatsu that was supposed to be-

"There are many things to discuss Kuchiki-san, but let's leave it for after dinner~!", he interrupted her, the owner walking closer to Yuna and placing his hands onto her shoulders. It was preventing her to escape if she ever thought to do so. "We have some delicious curry rice and miso soup~!", he added, having the others lead her away while he remained behind with Yuna.

"..."

"Relax. She's not an enemy to you in her condition.", he spoke in a lower tone, the girl soon calming down. "And even if she were... not in my house~!", he ended with a smile, but still... he asked of her not to show her face tonight at dinner. There were things happening that were more important than the girl.

"Who is she...", she asked Urahara for information, but he just shook his head – not now.

"..."

.

.

Yuna was sent upstairs, with no further contact with the visitor that night or explanation.


End file.
